Carlos Sainz denies trying to be “another Fernando Alonso” despite matching his career path in Formula 1.
The two Spaniard’s both began at Faenza, with Alonso joining when the team was known as Minardi in 2001 and Toro Rosso in the case of Sainz in 2015.
From there Carlos went on to join Renault, McLaren and now Ferrari in the exact same order as the double world champion, albeit for different lengths of time.
But despite the remarkable symmetry, Sainz insists it is purely coincidental as he tries to forge his own path.
“It’s tricky because I’ve already been in Renault but I didn’t get the two World Championships,” he joked speaking to reporters on his first trip to Ferrari’s base at Maranello.
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“I think careers are always impossible to compare because you don’t join teams at the same time. It’s completely different timeframes, completely different rivals, everything.
“But what I know is that one day I want to fight for a World Championship and I want to get myself into that position as quickly as possible and as early as possible because I feel ready for the challenge.
“He’s been an extremely strong driver but there will never be another Fernando Alonso,” Sainz stated.
“He was the first one, the pioneer in many ways, and I’m just trying to do my own career, my own way of doing things, of seeing things, of driving and I’ll see where that gets me.”
Last month, the 26-year-old got his first taste behind the wheel at Ferrari, driving the 2018 car for one-and-a-half days at Fiorano.
That test was seen as crucial to helping Sainz settle in at the Scuderia, with only three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain before the new season.
But while the Italian team is confident of a stronger 2021, Sainz admits the main focus will be on the new rules for next year.
“I already see some positive signs from Ferrari and improvements and obviously there is a new engine coming which should again improve the situation a bit,” he told Crash.net.
“But I think 2021 is a difficult year for everyone. We all know Mercedes is going to keep dominating the sport and without a big regulation change, there’s a big chance that will continue in 2021.
“So, for me, I think Ferrari and pretty much everyone who is not Mercedes should focus more on 2022 and try to make that the biggest change in the competitiveness of the team.
“I’m already confident that Ferrari knows that and are going to try and do that and that 2021 is going to be a transition year,” he added.
“I feel ready for whatever comes. I’ve always said my ultimate goal in Formula 1 is to try to be world champion one day, and I’m ready to take that next step into Ferrari and see how it goes. I feel 100% ready.”